Tuesday, April 8, 2014

I'm a big comfortable proponent. If it's comfy, I'm happy. That's why boyfriend jeans are the perfect jean to rock when skinny's just doesn't seem appealing. That being said, comfortable is one thing - glam is another. Throwing on heels and some sparkly jewelry always helps any look. And I'm just so happy that it's getting warm enough to no longer live in uggs and winter parkas. It's supposed to be in the 70's tomorrow! If you live anywhere in the mid-west, you understand how big of a deal this is!! Bring on the sunshine!

Thursday, April 3, 2014

I love classic looks with a twist of trendy and modern. Specifically, black and white has always been a good-to look for me. And if you know me at all, you know I'm obsessed with stripes! I've been pinning a ton of striped looks on my {Pinterest board}, all which have been designer brands {aka $100 plus for a fricking shirt!} So when I stumbled upon this black and white striped blouse from {Forever 21}, I fell in love! And of course I had to complete my black and white look with gold accessories, because gold is...well awesome!

Monday, March 24, 2014

I am simply obsessed with pastels right now. And although it looks as if I'm living in a snow globe at the moment, I just can't help but feel "springy" with this look. I added the cobalt blue blazer to have a pop of color! One of the best things about this look? The whole outfit cost me under $100 all thanks to Forever 21! I have some staple pieces in my closet that are more expensive, but I'm such a believer in budget buying. I tend to get bored easily with my clothes, so if I'm only wearing them a few times, why not be thrifty? My buying philosophy is that if I'm going to be wearing it multiple times a week {ie. purse, sunglasses, watch, dress/work clothes} I will spend more money, because it's a staple in my closet. If it's more of a trendy look {ie. my pastels look} I'll buy it cheap and rock it a few times!

Monday, March 17, 2014

I officially ran my first race on Saturday! I ran the Get Lucky Twin Cities 7K, which was ever so appropriate that my first race celebrated my heritage where there was beer at the end.

I was lucky that I got to run with three of my favorite people who motivated me to sign up in the first place. They had ran a race before so it gave me the confidence that I could at least try it, right? Well, the only problem is, I decided to join two days before the run. I hadn't trained at all, except for going to yoga {which I later came to find out, that's not the same as training for a race.}

Regardless, I woke up at 6:45am, and told myself I was going to do this

{even if I had to walk half the race.}

48 minutes after the race, I found myself crossing the finish line.

Without walking once.

I was shocked and amazed at what my body could do when I put my mind to it.

If you're a normal runner, this may not be an amazing feat, but for me, this was suprising.

And although I spent the rest of Saturday and Sunday icing and soaking my legs and feet {yes, I learned the importance of training} I'm so glad I did it! My friends and I are already signed up for another race, The Color Run Twin Cities 5K, this summer!

My motivators: Kelsey, Brady, and Louise :)

All ready for the race to start!

15,000 people ran in the Get Lucky race! Starting out in DT, Minneapolis {my home is just three blocks up from here :)}

I've always been more of a Michael Kors fan when it comes to watches, but when I saw this Marc by Marc Jacobs gold and mint watch, I want gaga over it! It's the perfect mix of classic, yet adding a bit of color without it being too overpowered. I can think of tons of outfits I could wear with this already.

What I really love about these pants from ASOS is that I could dress them up for work or dress them down for more of a casual look. I also love the sleek, high-waisted look. Yeah, these may end up in my closet tomorrow.

There are so many reasons why I love this swimsuit. First off, I love the style. It's simple, yet I love the cutouts on it. Second off, it's mint {duh}. And lastly, it's only $12.80. Yup, Forever 21 does it again.

I love this dress with the mint and perfect gold detailing around it. I could find a ton of reasons to rock this dress for spring and summer. Add a blazer to dress it up and to add even more of a polished look.

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Life sometimes gets the best of me and I unfortunately seek out what I must do, rather than focus on what I should do. One area that I continually seem to neglect is my blog. I sometimes find myself struggling with what to share and what not to share. What is "appropriate" to put out to the world wide web, and what isn't. My blog has been such a personal outlet, that I have found it challenging on knowing what to even write sometimes.

I'll start typing and then,

delete...

re-write...

pause...

write again...

delete...

and eventually,

just stop.

Although my blog (aka my place to express myself creatively) has been neglected, I've been blessed to fall back in love with yoga. I started doing yoga during college and instantly fell in love with it. It was the perfect paring for me; combining physical and mental benefits.

{Insert pause: I'm going to yoga right now.}

{Okay, I'm back.}

I started doing yoga originally knowing very little of the mental benefits that coincided with the physical benefits. I was always in sports growing up {gymnastics, softball, basketball, volleyball} and loved working out, without actually "working out." (did that even make sense?) Anyway, after graduating from high school, it was challenging for me to "just go to the gym" because I found no joy in running on a treadmill or elliptical machine. When I started hearing more and more about yoga, I thought, "Hey, why not?" This was around the time that I felt yoga was sort of the "buzz word" for physical fitness. Celebrities raved about it and it became sort of the "thing" to do.

When I walked into my first class, I had no idea :

a.) What I was doing
b.) How physically challenging yoga was

c.) What I was going to experience mentally

After all, it was just a work out. Boy was I wrong. After my very first yoga class, as I lay in Shavasana, I was met with an overwhelming rush of emotions and began to tear up. I was sort of in shock by my reaction, because I had no idea where it was coming from. It wasn't until I laid there in complete stillness for awhile longer, that I realized that I had experienced mental peace and quietness for random moments throughout the class.

Not thinking about what had to be done that day.

Not thinking about what was lacking in my life at that moment.

Not thinking about negative thoughts.

Not thinking about the stresses of life.

Not thinking of my own self worth.

Not thinking about anything.

It was amazing and overwhelming all at the same time.

Unfortunately over the past few years, I lost my love for yoga and let it slip out of my life. I'd randomly go and feel the benefits, but still couldn't find myself sticking to it, despite the fact that I knew I was meant to do it.

Finally, after one of my best friend's became a Yoga Instructor, I found myself signing up for a two week boot camp that she was going to be teaching. It was expensive and it was early, but I found myself with no excuses left as to why I wasn't doing yoga. The two week boot camp really helped me jump start into committing to my practice.

I'm so thankful for finding yoga again and falling back in love. Yoga hasn't had all the answers for many of the questions in my life. I've realized that is on me. But what yoga has done, is allowed me to find calmness in the storm. Peace in the chaos. A quiet mind in the midst of the insanity. A brief moment in time to get lost in the stillness of my own mind.